Hundreds of UCD students, staff and locals competed in the 4th annual Rás UCD 5k Road Race around Belfield Campus on Saturday 6th April. The winner, Emmett Jennings was awarded the Jevon Newman memorial trophy, which commemorates a UCD medical student and athletics club member, who died last year.

Emmett Jennings of DCU and Dundrum South Dublin was the clear winner of the men's race. He led from the start, pulling away from UCD Engineering Graduate Robert Corbally with 800m to go to cross the finish line in 15.25. Monaghan's Conán McCaughey had a strong final kilometer and almost caught Corbally, with final year medicine student Donal Hanratty in fourth.

2nd year Physiotherapy student Aoife O' Connor won the Senior women's race in 19.02, with DCU's Maire Nic Amhlaibh having a fine second lap to finish second ahead of Caoimhe Daniels from Galway.

Emmett Jennings received the Jevon Newman Trophy, donated by UCD School of Medicine, from Peter Murphy, a classmate and friend of Jevon Newman. UCD and Dublin footballer Rory O Carroll presented the other prizes, including a prize for the keenly contested fancy dress competition won by Aonghus "The Chicken" O Briain.

After the race was finished tea, sandwiches and massages were provided in the Sports Hall, with Tradsoc entertaining the crowds with traditional Irish music. The entrance fee was a mere €10 for students, with all participants receiving a t-shirt and goodie bag. Miraculously the freezing temperatures endured by us all over the past few weeks abated on Saturday morning, and a warm almost summers day was enjoyed by all.

The day was organised and promoted 'as Gaeilge', and all were encouraged to use their 'cúpla focal' whenever they could. All funds went to UCD Volunteers Overseas, who have development projects in Haiti, India, Nicaragua and Tanzania.

In Memory of Jevon

The School is grateful to Donal Hanratty, who proposed the idea of a sponsored trophy in memory of Jevon Newman. Jevon, fondly remembered by all who knew him, died last summer, just weeks after graduating from UCD School of Medicine.